Belt-fastening machines



Aug. 4, 1964 L. A. NEALE BELT-FASTENING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 6, 1962 L. A. NEALE BELT-FASTENING MACHINES Aug. 4, 1964 Filed Nov. 6, 1962 Inventor w w W,

Aug. 4, 1964 L. A. NEALE BELT-FASTENING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 6, 1962 1964 1.. A. NEALE 3,142,842 BELT-FASTENING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 wwam z Attorneys United States Patent 3,142,842 BELT-FASTENING MACHINES Leslie A. Neale, Sheffield, England, assignor to Hayden-Nilos Limited Filed Nov. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 235,810 Claims priority, application Great Britain May 2, 1962 11 Claims. (Cl. 1342) This invention relates to belt-fastening machines, and is particularly concerned with machines for the application to the end of a conveyor belt a joint-half consisting of U-shaped elements disposed side-by-side, and staples with pointed legs each to pass from one limb of a U-shaped element, through the thickness of the belt, and through a pair of holes spaced in the lengthwise direction of the other limb of the U-shaped element, for the points of the legs to be bent over the outer surface of that other limb. Two belt-ends each provided with such a joint-half can then be linked together by intermeshing the bases of the U-shaped elements and inserting a hinge element through the intermeshed bases.

One object of the invention is to provide a machine in which a plurality of the U-shaped elements and a corresponding number of staples can be accurately prepositioned in relation to each other and to a belt, with the legs of the staples guided towards the holes in the elements for their forcible penetration of the belt, concluded by bending of their points.

Another object is to provide for the forcing of a plurality of pre-positioned staples simultaneously through a corresponding number of pairs of holes in U-shaped elements and the bending of their points and for the subsequent pressing of all their bent points simultaneously with the pressing of the plurality of U-shaped elements to the belt.

Yet another object is to provide for the progressive forcing and point-bending of staples pre-positioned in relation to the U-shaped elements and the belt, together with progressive pressing of the points already bent simultaneously with the compression to the belt of the U-shaped elements against which the points have already been bent.

Other objects and advantages of the invention in enabling a joint-half of very great strength to be made in a simple and efiicaceous manner will appear from the following description of two machines with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the first machine;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1, showing a belt in position to receive the fasteners;

FIGURE 3 is a plan of the U-shaped fastener elements to be secured by the use of the machine of FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is fragmentary sectional plan taken on the line IV-IV of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are fragmentary views of the lower portion of FIGURE 2, showing two stages in the securing of the fasteners;

FIGURES 7 and 8 show, in rear elevation and partsectional front elevation, means alternative to what is shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 for adjustment of the machine to different thicknesses of belt;

FIGURE 9 is a front elevation of the second form of machine, with a belt in position to receive the fasteners;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical section taken on the line X-X of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary section taken on the line XIXI of FIGURE 10; and

FIGURES 12 and 13 are fragmentary views of parts of FIGURE '10, showing two stages in the securing of the fasteners.

3,142,842 Patented Aug. 4., 1964 In FIGURES 1 and 2, side plates 1, 2 are connected by upper and lower thrust plates 3, 4, the latter of which is also the base plate of the machine. The plates 1, 2 are spaced by the width occupied by three U-shaped fastener elements 5 (see FIGURE 3) to be applied simultaneously to a belt 6. A pressing member 7 slides in vertical grooves 8 in the plates 1, 2. The grooves 8 also serve to locate a staple guide 9 across the top of gaps 10 in the plates 1, 2. Across the inner end of the gaps 10 is a comb-bar 11 with slots 12 in its front face to receive the limbs 13 of the elements 5 assembled with the belt 6 between them. The elements 5 are secured to the comb-bar by a rod 14 slid between the rear of the slots 12 and the bases 15 of the elements.

The guide 9 has a lengthwise slot 16 (FIGURE 4) opening at the top and bottom faces of the bar, and there are nine pairs of vertical grooves 17 in the walls of the slot 16, each pair of slots serving to receive and guide the pointed legs 18 of staples with flat crowns 19. The pressing member 7 has a downwardly projecting staple driver 20 to enter the slot 16 and shoulders 21 to press on the top face of the guide 9 at each side of the slot.

Below the gaps 10 is an anvil 22, ordinarily retracted by a spring 23 through a lever 24 and a link 25, but capable of being advanced to the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2 by manual depression of a lever 26. The anvil 22 has a hardened face 27 with pairs of recesses 28, behind which is a plain part 29.

The pressing member 7 is moved up and down the grooves 8 being pivoted at 30 to the lower of two pairs of toggle links 31, the upper part of which is pivoted at 32 to a nut 33 guided in the grooves 8 and adjustable for height by a screwed spindle 34. The toggle links 31 have a common pivot 35 connected by links 36 (one only shown in FIGURE 2) to a nut 37 operated by a horizontal screwed spindle 38, to a square 39 on the end of which may be applied an operating handwheel (not shown).

When the pressing member 7 is fully raised (FIG- URE 2), slotted links 40 by which the guide 9 is suspended by pins 41 are lifted a little by pins 42 on the member 7, to bring the bar substantially clear of the gaps 10. When the pressing member 7 is forced downwardly (FIGURES 5 and 6), the guide 9 is no longer supported by the links 40 and can be pressed into the gaps 10 by the shoulders 21 of the member 7.

The amount by which the member 7 may descend is controlled by the adjustment of the pivot 32, which is lowered for a thinner belt 6, as compared with its position for a thicker belt. The guide 9 may thus be pressed firmly on to fastener elements 5 and the belt 6 between the limbs of the elements, whatever the thickness of the belt.

With the anvil 22 retracted by the spring 23 to lie immediately in front of the comb-bar 11, the pressing member 7 raised, and the guide 9 (raised by the links 40) charged with nine wire staples 18, 19, the two points 43 of each staple are directed by the vertical grooves 17 in the guide 9 so as to lie above the corresponding two holes 44 (FIGURE 3) of the three pairs of holes in each limb of each element 5. Each pair of holes 44 is in a groove 45, facing upwardly in the upper limb and downwardly in the lower limb of each element 5. I

Application of the fasteners is performed in two stages. First, with the anvil 22 retracted, the rib 20 of the pressing member 7 is forced down by operation of the spindle 38 and engages the flat crowns 19 of the staples and forces the legs 18 down the grooves 17 of the guide 9 so that their points 43 pass through the holes 44 in a the upper limbs of the elements 5, through the belt 6, and through the lower holes 44. The emerging points 43 enter the recesses 28 in the anvil and are turned in the lower grooves 45 away from the comb-bar 11, i.e., away from the end edge of the belt 6 (FIGURE The shoulders 21 press on the guide 9 on to the upper limbs of the elements 5.

Second, after raising of the pressing member 7 slightly by the spindle 38 and advancing of the anvil 22 by the lever 26, final compression is effected by a further operation of the pressing member 7 by the spindle 38, when the shoulders 21 press the guide 9, now above the plain part 29 of the anvil, so that the flat crowns 19 of the staples are pressed into the upper grooves 45 of the elements 5, and the bent points 43 are pressed by the part 29 into the lower grooves 45 (FIGURE 6).

The machine is then moved across the end of the belt 6 for the application of the next set of three elements 5 and their nine staples 18, 19. The machine can of course be used for applying up to one, two, or three elements 5 only, as for the repair of a joint in which some damage has occurred to one or more fasteners but without damage to the belt material itself. In this way, the joint can be restored at the cost of the new fastener or fasteners, and the considerable expense of making an entirely new joint is saved.

Because the final compression is effected by a further operation of the pressing member 7, the entire effort of the operating spindle 38 is available for the piercing of the belt material the eighteen points of the three pairs of the three staples 18, 19 for each of the elements 5, and is again available for the final compression of all the elements, and yet the machine is very compact and readily moved to the required position in the width of the belt to receive the complement of fasteners.

Instead of the adjustable nut 33 for regulation of the machine to different thicknesses of belt 6, the upper pair of toggle links 31 may (see FIGURES 7 and 8) be pivoted eccentrically at 46 on a spindle 47 that passes through the side plate 2 to carry a lever 48 having a plunger 49 to enter any one of an arcuate series of holes 50 in the plate 2 and the thrust plate 3. By appropriate spacing of the holes 50, the effective pivot axis of the links 31 may be raised or lowered in accordance with the thickness of the belt.

The second form of machine, described with reference to FIGURES 9 to 13, effects progressive application of elements 5 over any desired width of belt 6, and to this extent resembles known machines for applying staples, or elements carrying staples, that have their limbs out of parallel to admit the thickness of the belt past the points of the legs, but then have to have the limbs bent to parallel position as the points penetrate the belt. However, in this second form of machine, as with the first form, the limbs of the elements 5 are initially parallel, and spaced in accordance with the belt thickness; and the staples are charged into the machine separately from the elements.

The machine has side plates 51 spaced to cover a substantial width of belt 6, with gaps 52 to permit the application of the machine to even greater widths of belt. The plates 51 are connected by a tie-rod 53 and also by a circular comb-bar 11A and a rod 54 with ratchet teeth 55, continued in an extension of the rod beyond one plate 51. A pawl 56 carried by a lever 57 pivoted on a jaw unit 58 enables the jaw unit to be traversed by stages equal to the width of one element 5.

The jaw unit 58 has two side plates 59 with gaps 60 in their front edges to clear the end' of a belt 6 positioned in the machine with its edge abutting the forward face with slots 12A of the comb-bar 11A, and with the inner ends 61 of the gaps providing a guiding embrace about the periphery of the comb-bar. Further guiding of the jaw unit 58 is provided by the transverse rack bar 54, which passes through corresponding holes in the side plates 59.

Above the gaps 60, the side plates 59 have open-bottomed guide spaces 62 through which the staple guide 9 passes, and above these spaces vertical guide slots 8A for the pivot 30A of the pressing member 7. This member has a downward staple driver 20 to enter the lengthwise slot 16 of the bar, the walls of the slot having pairs of vertical grooves for the legs 18 of the staples. The guide 9 extends from one side plate 51 to the other of the machine and is carried by these side plates. It is charged with as many staples as are required for the width of the belt 6, the comb-bar 11A being similarly charged with a full complement of elements 5. The staples 18 may, in known manner, be assembled on a strip of card or welded to a thin wire or strip, for charging as a complement to the guide 9.

The pressing member 7 is operated by a vertical screwed spindle 38A, nut 37A, link 36A, and toggle links 31, the upper pivot 32A of which may be adjusted for height by a screwed spindle 34.

The anvil 22A is formed by one arm of a jaw lever 63 pivoted transversely at 64 in the side plates 59 and movable between them, and operable by a link 65 from the nut 37A. The anvil lever 63 moves so that the hardened face 27A with recesses 28A is positioned close against the lower limb of a U-shaped element 5 when the staple driver 20 of the pressing member 7 has forced the points 43 of the staples through the belt 6 and the holes in the limbs of the member 5 in position to receive the staples. To support the lower limb of the element 5 as the points 43 of the staples emerge from the belt 6 and the pair of holes in that limb before the pressing member 7 completes its stroke, a crossbar 66 is placed between the side plates 51 of the machine and just in front of the comb-bar 11A, the hardened face 27A moving into position beyond the crossbar. Supporting fingers 67 protrude forwardly of the crossbar 66 to support the edges of the lower limbs of the elements 5.

The staple driver 20 of the pressing member 7 has a staple-engaging face wide enough to engage six staples, of which three are pressed simultaneously through the belt 6, while three staples already inserted are further pressed while the next three staples are being inserted after traversing of the jaw unit, but on the second occasion final compression only is effected. For this purpose, the anvil 22A is wide enough to carry a second hardened face 27B (FIGURE 9) free from point-bending recesses.

The two stages of pressing are shown by FIGURES l2 and 13. In FIGURE 12, the points 43 have been bent by the recesses 28A in the part 27A. In FIGURE 13, the bent points have been engaged by the plain face of the part 27B.

In the second machine, one element is completely applied at each operation of the pressing member 7, and the operation is completed until all the elements secured in the comb-bar 11A have been applied and secured by staples charged in the guide 9. The machine can be recharged with elements and staples and the sequence of operations repeated until the whole width of a belt, however much wider than the machine, has received its full complement.

Although each element 5 could serve to receive one U- shaped staple only (when the element could be formed of strip metal or of wire flattened at its ends and there pierced with the holes for the staples), it is preferable in joints for the thicker and tougher belt material required for wide, heavily loaded, belts to have each element 5 receive a plurality of staples, such as the three instanced above, so that each element presents a width of strip metal to be firmly clamped to the two faces of the belt 6 and held by the several staples, with both points of each facing away from the base of the element to increase resistance to displacement by the tension of the belt transmitted by the joint.

Instead of the screwed spindles 38 or 38A for operating the two machines, either machine could be operated with the toggle mechanism actuated by one or more levers, or it could be power-operated, e.g., by a hydraulic cylinder, suitable to apply the considerable efiort required for the simultaneous piercing of the belt by the points of several staples for each element 5 and for the final compression of the preceding element or elements the staples of which have already pierced the belt and have had their points bent over.

What I claim is:

1. A belt-fastening machine for making a joint-half consisting of U-shaped elements and pointed staples to pass through a belt and holes in the limbs of the elements, the machine comprising a comb-bar with a slotted front face to receive the bases of the U-shaped elements, a securing rod to secure the bases of the elements inside the comb-bar, a staple-presenting bar disposed parallel to and forwardly of the slotted face of the comb-bar, the bar having a downwardly-directed face and being formed with a lengthwise slot through its thickness from that face, there being registering pairs of vertical grooves formed in the side walls of the slot each to receive and direct downwardly the legs of a staple, a pressing member of the width and length of the slot in the bar, vertical guide means for the pressing member, means to move the pressing member downwardly into the slot, and an anvil member with an upwardly-directed face below the pressing member, that face being formed with point-bending recesses in register with and below the pairs of vertical grooves in the slot of the bar.

2. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 1, comprising vertical guide means for the staple-presenting bar also, there being shoulders formed on the pressing member to engage the top of the bar towards the lower position reached by the bar in its own vertical guiding means.

3. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 1, comprising toggle mechanism for the operation of the pressing mem ber, the toggle mechanism including two links having a common pivot, one link being pivotally connected to the pressing member and the other to a pivot adjustable towards and away from the pressing member, a movable mounting for the said adjustable pivot, and means for adjusting the position of the movable mounting.

4. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 3, comprising an eccentric in the mounting for the said adjustable pivot, an arm for rotating the eccentric, a plunger on the arm, and a plate with an arcuate series of holes for selective engagement by the plunger.

5. A belt-fastening machine for making a joint-half consisting of U-shaped elements and pointed staples to pass through a belt and holes in the limbs of the elements, the machine comprising side plates, a comb-bar extending between the side plates, the front face of the comb-bar being slotted to receive the bases of a corresponding number of U-shaped elements, a securing rod to secure the bases of the elements inside the comb-bar, a staple-presenting bar corresponding in length to the comb-bar and disposed parallel to and forwardly of the slotted face of the comb-bar, the bar having a downwardly-directed face and being formed with a lengthwise slot through its thickness from that face, there being pairs of registering vertical grooves in the side walls of the slot each to receive and direct downwardly a staple, a pressing member corresponding in length to the comb-bar and the hook presenting bar and of the width and length of the slot, an anvil member below the pressing member, and the bar, vertical guide means for the pressing member, and means to move the pressing member downwardly into the slot to engage simultaneously all the crowns of staples when the bar is loaded with staples, the anvil having an upper face formed with point-bending recesses in register with the grooves in the slot.

6. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 5, comprising vertically-slotted links slidably suspended from the pressing member, the staple-presented bar being carried by the bottom ends of the links.

7. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 15, comprising horizontal guide means for the anvil, is movable permitting movement of the anvil between retracted and advanced positions with respect to the comb-bar, the anvil having a plain face disposed between its recessed face and its end nearer the comb-bar, and means for moving the anvil towards and away from the comb-bar, and thereby to bring the recessed face and the plain face alternately into and out of register with the slotted bar.

8. A belt-fastening machine for making a joint-half consisting of U-shaped elements and pointed staples to pass through a belt and holes in the limbs of the elements, the machine comprising side plates, a comb-bar extending between the side plates, the front face of the comb-bar being slotted to receive the bases of a corresponding number of U-shaped elements, a securing rod for securing the bases inside the comb-bar, a staplepresenting bar between the side plates and disposed parallel to and forwardly of the slotted face of the combbar, the bar having a downwardly-directed face and being formed with a lengthwise slot through its thickness from that face, there being registering pairs of vertical grooves formed in the walls of the slot each to receive and direct downwardly the legs of a staple, a jaw unit, transverse guide means for the jaw unit extending between the side plates, means for moving the jaw unit progressively along the guide means, a pressing member carried by the jaw unit above the staple-presenting bar and of a width to enter into the lengthwise slot, an anvil member also carried by the jaw unit below the pressing member, the anvil being mounted on a lever transversely pivoted in the jaw unit, and common operating means in the jaw unit for the pressing member and the anvil member, for moving them simultaneously either towards and away from each other.

9. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 8, comprising a crossbar mounted in front of the comb-bar and to the rear of the anvil.

10. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 8, comprising a crossbar mounted in front of the comb-bar and to the rear of the anvil, and fingers protruding forwardly of the crossbar and spaced apart by the width of the anvil.

11. A belt-fastening machine as in claim 8, comprising a second anvil with a plain face upper face, disposed alongside the recessed anvil.

No references cited. 

1. A BELT-FASTENING MACHINE FOR MAKING A JOINT-HALF CONSISTING OF U-SHAPED ELEMENTS AND POINTED STAPLES TO PASS THROUGH A BELT AND HOLES IN THE LIMBS OF THE ELEMENTS, THE MACHINE COMPRISING A COMB-BAR WITH A SLOTTED FRONT FACE TO RECEIVE THE BASES OF U-SHAPED ELEMENTS, A SECURING ROD TO SECURE THE BASES OF THE ELEMENTS INSIDE THE COMB-BAR, A STAPLE-PRESENTING BAR DISPOSED PARALLEL TO AND FORWARDLY OF THE SLOTTED FACE OF THE COMB-BAR, THE BAR HAVING A DOWNWARDLY-DIRECTED FACE AND BEING FORMED WITH A LENGTHWISE SLOT THROUGH ITS THICKNESS FROM THAT FACE, THERE BEING REGISTERING PAIRS OF VERTICAL GROOVES FORMED IN THE SIDE WALLS OF THE SLOT EACH TO RECEIVE AND DIRECT DOWNWARDLY THE LEGS OF A STAPLE, A PRESSING MEMBER OF THE WIDTH AND LENGTH OF THE SLOT IN THE BAR, VERTICAL GUIDE MEANS FOR THE PRESSING MEMBER, MEANS TO MOVE THE PRESSING MEMBER DOWNWARDLY INTO THE SLOT, AND AN ANVIL MEM- 